What is a Dentigerous Cyst?
During the development of permanent teeth, occasionally our body forms a sac of clear fluid around the crown, usually in the lower jaw which is also known as the mandible. It is usually not painful, but sometimes it may expand. This cyst is called a dentigerous cyst, which is the most common odontogenic development cyst, according to case studies.
Other term of the dentigerous cyst would be follicular cyst, this cyst is usually associated with the crown of a permanent tooth, and most of the time can be found near a lower wisdom tooth. Due to the tendency for dentigerous cysts to expand rapidly, they may cause pathological fractures of jaw bones. Your dentist would perform on fine needle aspiration first before performing the enucleation procedure or complete removal of the cyst, thin straw colored fluid may be seen during this type of biopsy.
What is the treatment for dentigerous cyst?
A dentigerous cyst is often treated by excision of the cyst along with the extraction of the associated tooth. In case of a large cyst marsupialization is done.
General dentists do not remove a dentigerous cyst unless they have had special surgical training through a hospital residency program. The most common doctor to refer this case to is an oral surgeon, since oral surgeons frequently encounter many types of cysts while removing wisdom teeth.